2 Half Hollow Hills Students Win National Merit Scholarship

DIX HILLS, NY--Two students from Half Hollow Hills High School East were recognized for their academic and personal achievements. They are recipients of the 2019 National Merit $2,500 Scholarship. The merit scholar winners were announced on Wednesday by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Jared S. Bank and Rinni Bhansali are two of 2,500 winners nationwide selected from a group of over 15,000 finalists. Bank's probable career field is physics. Bhansali's projected career choice lies in biomedical engineering.

A panel of college admissions officers and high school counselors judged the students based on their accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college courses, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said in a release. The judges looked at grades, difficulty of courses, standardized test scores, contributions and leadership both in school and in the community, an essay and a recommendation from a high school official.

The number of winners in each state was proportional to the state's share of the nation's graduating high school seniors. Additional winners will be named in June and July. By the end of the year, about 7,600 students will have won merit scholarships totaling more than $31 million. The money can be put toward any regionally accredited college or university in America.

The merit scholarship program was created in 1955. Students in grades nine through 12 vie for academic recognition and financial support. About 1.6 million students take the qualifying test every year and about 50,000 of the highest scorers have the chance to be considered.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.